Dog dies in overhead locker on United Airlines plane

Maggie Gremminger, another passenger, wrote on Instagram that "I assumed there must be ventilation as surely the flight attendant wouldn't have instructed this otherwise", adding "I heard the dog barking a little and didn't know it was barking a cry for help".

That flight attendant told the airline she did not realize the pet was inside. "The woman was crying in the airplane aisle on the floor".

A fellow passenger on the flight, June Lara, posted to Facebook: "There was no sound as we landed and opened his kennel". She was holding her dog and rocking back and forth. I cried with them three minutes later as she sobbed over his lifeless body. They assured the safety of the family's pet so wearily, the mother agreed'.

Gremminer later told PEOPLE the hostess who allegedly insisted on moving the dog appeared "frazzled" and claimed she was unaware the animal was in the carrier.

She said she was seated in the row directly behind the woman and was shocked at what was happening.

Passengers said they heard barking during the flight from Houston to NY.

A dog is dead after its owner was forced to store the pup inside the overhead bin of a plane by a flight attendant on a United Airlines flight.

United Airlines confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday that a dog died on board a flight from Houston to NY on Monday after flight attendants requested that the passengers keep the dog in the overheard storage compartment.

But it is unclear why the carrier was not placed under a seat, he said. He said the airline refunded the tickets purchased for the dog owner and her two children and the fee that they paid to bring a pet on board - typically $200.

For the full year 2017, United accounted for 18 of 24 animal deaths on flights among the 17 airlines that reported to DOT. I didn't question the flight attendant, but I could have.

"We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them", said the airline's statement.

The woman carried the black French bulldog in a standard pet carrier, and a flight attendant told her she would need to put the bag in an overhead bin because it didn't fit under the seat, according to Gremminger.